Irrigation systems are utilized in agricultural, commercial, and residential settings as a means of irrigating areas of vegetation that include but are not limited to crop fields, golf courses, and residential lawns. Traditionally these irrigation systems utilize sprinkler heads as a fluid distribution mechanism in arid or draught prone climates. These sprinkler heads are provided in a plurality of configurations that include but are not limited to impact sprinkler heads, oscillating sprinkler heads, drip sprinkler heads, and pop-up sprinkler heads. Of these configurations, the pop-up sprinkler heads are the most commonly utilized in large scale non-agricultural settings.
Pop-up sprinklers are commonly manufactured in heights from two to twelve inches. Conventionally retractable sprinklers comprise a cap, a main body, a piston assembly, and a nozzle assembly. The cap functions as the upper portion of the main body through which the piston and the nozzle assembly traverse through. The main body functions as the enclosure that receives pressurized fluid as a means to operatively activate the piston assembly and the nozzle assembly. The piston assembly functions as the telescoping/extendable component that is operatively activated by the pressurized fluid received from the main body. The nozzle assembly functions as the fluid distribution mechanism. Commonly the main body is positioned beneath the ground and is connected to a pressurized fluid distribution network.
An advantage of pop-up sprinkler over permanently upright sprinkler heads such as impact sprinklers head, oscillating sprinklers head, and drip sprinklers is that the pop-up sprinkler heads remain below ground until they are activated by water pressure from a pressurized fluid source. When activated the pop-up sprinkler head is pushed above ground level and distributes water to the surrounding vegetation as long as the water pressure remains constant. When water pressure decreases, the pop-up sprinkler heads return to their resting position below ground. By remaining underground until activated, the pop-up sprinkler heads are able to avoid being damaged by, as well as interfering with users, lawn mowers, or wildlife, providing an aesthetic and practical irrigation solution. While pop-up sprinkler heads provide an effective and concealable fluid distribution mechanism, the design is susceptible to unintended interactions from the proximally positioned vegetation.
One such interaction occurs when the runners, lateral branches of certain grasses that traverse along the surface of the soil, grow over the piston assembly. These runners can grow very dense and in some cases are able to prevent the piston assembly from properly deploying. This unintended interaction prevents the pop-up sprinkler head from accomplishing its primary function of irrigating an area. Another situation occurs when the water pressure is turned off and the pop-up sprinkler begins to return to their resting position. During this instance proximally located vegetation may interferes with the piston assembly, preventing the pop-up sprinkler from returning underground. This situation negates the purpose of the pop-up sprinkler head, reducing their aesthetic and practical functionality, as well as potentially increasing the likelihood of being damaged by or damaging users, lawn movers, or wildlife.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a self trimming pop-up sprinkler head that is able to cut/trim vegetation or herbaceous material that is negatively impacting the functionality of said sprinkler head. The present invention accomplishes this through the use of an integrated trimming mechanism that is operatively coupled to the piston assembly and the main body of the pop-up sprinkler. The trimming mechanism is able to cut/sever vegetation as well as herbaceous material through the ascending and descending actions of the pop-sprinkler. The trimming mechanism accomplishes this through the use of a pair of cleaver assemblies containing a scissionable alignment that cuts/sever vegetation or herbaceous material that intersects said alignment.